Sony DSC-F828 and detailed preview

13:00 CET: Sony has today revealed its new flagship prosumer digital
camera, the Cybershot DSC-F828. The F828 carries on the tradition of a
split body / lens design which we first saw on the DSC-F505, the F828
however is a very different beast. The F828 has a new Sony 2/3" type
eight megapixel four color (RGBE) CCD sensor, coupled to this is
one of the most impressive digital camera lenses ever seen, a Carl Zeiss
Vario-Sonnar T* seven times wide angle zoom (28 - 200 mm
equiv.) with a maximum aperture of F2.0 - F2.8, better still zoom
is controlled by a mechanically linked zoom ring. Oh yes, and it
has RAW and a Compact Flash slot! We have
had a pre-production DSC-F828 for a short amount of time, just long enough
to produce a detailed nine page preview of this amazing camera.

EIGHT MEGAPIXELS JUST PART OF THE PICTURE WITH SONY'S LATEST HIGH-END
DIGITAL CAMERA

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 15, 2003 - Expert photographers know that image quality
goes beyond pixel resolution, and with today's new product announcement
from Sony Electronics, they will soon find a digital camera that measures
up to their discerning eye by exceeding the capabilities of current technology.

The latest model (DSC-F828) in Sony's popular line of Cyber-shot F-series
enthusiast cameras represents the next level of digital still photography,
which these enthusiasts will surely appreciate. With its lens-centric
design, the new camera is encased in a black, magnesium alloy body, and
is the first to incorporate Sony's recently announced four-color filter
CCD technology and Real Imaging Processor*. Along with the Carl Zeiss
T* optics, these components are integral in capturing color accuracy closest
to what the human eye can see and setting a new benchmark in camera performance.

"With our heritage in component design, Sony is uniquely qualified
to realize this new standard in image quality," said Steve Haber,
senior vice president of Sony Electronics' Personal, Mobile and Imaging
Products Division. "Specifically designed to handle the unique rigors
of advanced digital still photography, the new Cyber-shot F828 camera
embodies what we envision as a premier imaging experience."

To complete that experience, the new camera offers extensive manual controls,
giving advanced photographers a broader range of mechanisms to determine
focus, exposure and recording modes.

Users will have the flexibility to store their images onto CompactFlash
Type I and Type II media, as well as a Microdrive hard disk drive or
Memory Stick PRO* media. Seeing What the Human Eye Sees Recognizing that
current digital cameras borrow a nearly 40-year-old color reproduction
system developed for televisions and computer displays (RGB, standing
for red, green and blue), Sony began developing a new color filter early
last year to provide more flexible color management and dramatically improve
color accuracy. This new approach (RGB+E) adds an emerald-colored pixel
to the filter pattern, realizing color fidelity that is closer to human
color perception. The first model to utilize this new color system, the
DSC-F828, realizes a level of color accuracy not possible with other digital
cameras. Specifically, photographers will notice an extraordinarily life-like
rendering of blue, blue-green and red hues.

A Processor with Images in Mind

With a more accurate reproduction of the subject's color, the camera's
new Real Imaging Processor then converts the four-color signal back into
an ideal RGB color space with a linear matrix system. The processor is
also the engine that powers the camera's improved responsiveness, reducing
shutter lag and cycle time. Because of a nearly 40 percent reduction in
processing time, the Cyber-shot F828 model can capture an eight-megapixel
image in almost half the time required by typical five-megapixel cameras.
Custom-designed for digital still cameras, the new processor is optimized
to efficiently handle all the required tasks, which ultimately translates
into increased speed with lower power consumption.

Five-Area Multi-Point Auto Focus: The camera evaluates five
separate areas of the frame and intelligently focuses on the subject,
displaying the selected focus point, or the user can choose any of the
five points for manual control.

NightShot Infrared System: Enables the camera to capture infrared
images in total darkness at a distance of up to 15 feet.

NightFraming System: To capture crisp images in low or no
light, this feature illuminates the subject with the NightShot system
for proper framing, focuses with Hologram AF* illuminator and lights
the scene with the appropriate amount of flash.

Image File Formats: In addition to JPEG and TIFF formats, the
camera supports Sony's RAW format, which allows the photographer to
change the parameters of an image (e.g., white balance and color depth).
Software will be included for converting RAW files.

Video Recording: MPEG-VX Fine mode records video at 640 x
480 pixel resolution at 30 frames per second, up to the capacity of
the storage device, for TV-quality video.

The Cyber-shot DSC-F828 camera will be available in mid-November directly
from SonyStyle.com and at retailers nationwide with a suggested price
of about $1,200. The DSC-F717 model will continue to be available at about
$800.